


Change Your Stars

by CommanderAdorkable



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Another OC doesn't know game lore, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Cullen is skeptical, Dorks in Love, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I'm Bad At Tagging, Idiots in Love, Love, MGiT, Main OC knows game lore, Modern Character in Thedas, Modern Girl in Thedas, Multi, My First Work in This Fandom, My first fic, Some angst, Strangers to Lovers, but not really, but not too much, edited by me, eventually, lots of fluff, maybe smut eventually, modern girls in Thedas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-24 11:14:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30071403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommanderAdorkable/pseuds/CommanderAdorkable
Summary: Lauren ends up in Thedas with her sister, not knowing how they got there. Her plan is to get back home as soon as possible, after finding their lost brother of course.How do you leave a new world when you don't know how you ended up there in the first place?
Relationships: Cullen Rutherford/Original Character(s), Cullen Rutherford/Original Female Character(s), Rylen (Dragon Age)/Original Female Character(s) (Minor)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

****

**Chapter 1**

**Lauren POV**

_Why can’t I breathe? What the hell is going on?!_

I could feel my entire body aching. My legs, my arms, my head, all of it was throbbing painfully. But the most pressing matter was how I couldn’t fucking breathe. Why did it feel like someone was sitting on my chest?!

I tried to move my arms to push the weight off but nothing happened. I tried to move my legs and still, nothing happened. I could only see blackness and I started to mentally panic.

Before another thought could pass through my mind, the invisible weight seemed to shift off my chest and I could feel my lungs inflate as I gasped for air. 

I laid there for a moment catching my breath and tried to calm my erratic heartbeat. I slowly opened my eyes and I was greeted with more darkness. I blinked to make sure my eyes were actually open, and not crusted together somehow. Still laying on my back I start to take inventory of all the aches in my body and where it hurts most.  
  
I close my eyes again and concentrate on moving my feet and wiggling my toes. As they start to move, I move up my body mentally.  
  
Legs?  
Check

Fingers?  
Check

Arms?  
Check. 

As I’m taking inventory of working body parts, I slowly start to open my eyes again. This time very dim light filters in and I’m able to take in my surroundings. It’s then that I realized that I’m in some kind of holding cell made of stone. My eyes slowly began to adjust to the dim light provided by a torch I see, just outside the cell bars. 

The cell is probably no larger than 8 foot by 8 foot. There seems to be a makeshift bed of hay on the side opposite from where I’m laying. I also noticed a small pot-looking object in the far corner, next to the hay, and shuddered. 

The ground is cold and slightly damp and I’m starting to feel the cold wetness seep into my fleece-lined leggings. I’m entirely grateful I opted for a thicker hoodie when getting dressed...this morning? Yesterday? 

_Seriously? Where's the toilet?_

A small wave of relief passes over me as limbs and brain begin to function normally again. I tried to sit up and my head feels like it’s about to split open, so I quickly laid back down again. I rolled to my left side, away from the cell bars, hoping the change in position will help ease the blood flow back into my brain.  
  
“Ungh. OW. OW. OWWWW.” I whine as I grasp either side of my head with my still functioning hands. 

“Mmmmrph,” comes a low moan nearby.  
  
I arched my neck around towards the sound...ugh, that was dumb. Forcing myself to grit my teeth through the pain, I sat back up and looked over to where the sound came from. My back and arms are aching from the apparent disuse.

“Hello? Who’s there?” I ask in the near blackness. I feel my heartbeat kick up at the thought that someone else is in here.  
  
I can vaguely make out a person-shaped lump on the other side of the cell.

"Laney? Where are you?!” the lump calls out.

  
_Fucking hell. Arry!_

I recognized the voice as my younger sister and tried to crawl, albeit slowly and painfully, over to where the sound came from. I pat the ground in front of me since I can barely make anything out in the near-black dimness. I finally found her leg and started to pat up her body in search of her face. Again, grateful we both decided to dress warmer than normal for...uh, what had we been doing again? My brain was so fucking foggy.

“Arry, are you okay? Are you hurt?” I yell in an almost whisper at her. My throat felt scratchy.  
  
“No and yes. Fuck, this is worse than a hangover. What the hell happened? Where are we? Why do I hurt so much? What's going on? Why is it so dark?!"  
  
Tamping down my own rising panic, I switched gears to keep her from falling into a full-blown panic attack. Years of being her sole caretaker when she was a child kicking in through the fogginess trying to take over my mind.

I started to soothingly stroke her head to help calm her down. The way I used to do when she was little after our parents died. I won’t be able to figure anything out if she’s melting into a panic attack.  
  
“Shh, it’s okay. I’m here. We will figure out what happened in a minute. Where do you hurt most?” I soothed.

  
“My head currently. Although it feels like I was body slammed into a wall.” She sighed into me.  
  
We fumbled a bit, but I finally found her hand. I took her right hand in my left and used my right to find her face again. I accidentally poke her in the cheek which makes her chuckle.  
  
“Ever the clutz, sister."  
  
“Hush, you.”

I continue to feel around her face to make sure there aren’t any gashes or blood trickling down. I can feel a bump on her temple, but nothing else alarms me. I planted a kiss on her forehead once I found it.

All of a sudden, a door behind me slammed open sending too much light into the tiny space we seemed to be in. Arry and I both closed our eyes against the invading light and grunted in pain. 

  
_If this is what a hangover feels like, then fuck me I’m never going near alcohol again._

I can hear the sound of footsteps marching towards us and felt my anxiety kick up. I turned and cracked my eyes to see what’s going on. It was still too much light and I shielded my eyes by placing my hand on my forehead like a visor.  
  
“Who’s there?!” I called out towards the footsteps.  
  
As my eyes finally adjusted, I turned fully towards the cell bars, where the light was coming in, and tried to see who was walking in. I was still sitting on my butt, but I could make out a tall, imposing, and shadowy figure next to the bars. My eyes still hadn’t quite adjusted so I couldn’t see any features on what I assumed to be a man. Possibly a guard?  
  
“Aye, Commander. The prisoners seemed ta have awakened,” shouted the shadow man. 

Scottish accent? Are we in Scotland? That doesn't seem right. I shut my eyes again trying to remember what we were doing before I woke up here.

_We were driving...yes. Driving where? I see Colton’s SUV in front of me and Arry is in the passenger seat next to me. Then a bright green flash…fuck, Colton!_

Fuck. What the hell is going on? And where the fuck is Colton?

I grimaced at the continued shouting between the silhouettes on the other side of the cell bars.

"Jesus Christ, can you not shout?!" I yelled up at the man. 

All that earned me was a low breathy chuckle. I rolled my eyes and sighed, rubbing my aching temple.

I let go of Arry and tried to get my feet under me. I groaned at the overall achiness of my whole body as I tried to stand. I’m a bit wobbly as I get up, but I managed to get upright and stay upright...small victories. I took two steps over to the cell bars to try and see my captors better. I wobble slightly as I moved and grabbed the bars in front of me for balance. 

"Thank you, Captain." The second voice chimed in, further away than the first. 

_Why does that voice sound familiar? Matter of fact, why do both of their voices sound familiar?_

I closed my eyes, groaning. Distant bells start ringing in my head. Red flags start going up. My brain is leading me down a path I didn’t think it was possible to be on. 

_Dreaming. I’m dreaming..._

My gut is trying to tell me one thing and my head is denying it all. There is no way on God’s green Earth I could be where my mind is insisting I am right now.

_I'm dreaming. Holy fuck, this has to be a dream. This can't be real. We can't really be here. We are not where I think we are. I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming…._

I started to lightly slap my cheeks to try and wake myself up. Nothing. So then I started pinching my arms, my wrist, my hands, all the tender spots I can think of.

_Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP DAMMIT. This can't be realllllll._

"Uh, lass?" the Scottish man started, "Ye alright?"

I froze. Both hands stilling on my cheeks. The more he talked the more and more familiar his voice became.

I cracked my right eye back open to see a man who was a dead ringer for mother forking _Knight-Captain Rylen._

_OH. NO._

I took a step back from the cell bars in absolute shock. He was dressed in the brown furry leathers of the early Inquisition. My eyes traveled up to his face...and I just couldn’t deny it anymore. 

His face wasn’t as broad as his in-game visage and his eyes were set a bit further apart. There were his trademark four thick black tattoos on his chin and another thick line that followed the curve of his nose on his left nostril. Still handsome, of course. Besides, not just anyone decides to get tattoos like that for the hell of it, right? 

The would-be-Rylen looked at me with a quirked eyebrow. My eyes quickly flicked over to the other silhouette as realization dawned...then that would mean….the Commander is THE fucking Commander…

_Fuck me, sideways._

"Uh, no actually. Quite the... opposite I think," I finally managed to sputter out, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Laney...what’s going on?” Arry moaned behind me.  
  
I can hear her shuffling around behind me, likely trying to come to stand next to me to see what’s going on.  
  


“Uh, I have no fucking clue, but come here.” I held my hand out to her so I can wrap it around hers.  
  
She slowly walked over to me and tried to nestle into my arm, but it doesn’t quite work since she’s 4 inches taller than I am. Shivering she looked up at the man standing before us and then gave me a questioning look. 

Steeling myself I look back at the former Templar. Squaring my shoulders I put on my best “Mom” voice and looked him right in the eye. I’m absolutely scared shitless, but I’ll be damned if I let him see that.  
  
“Where are we? Who are you? Why are we in here?!” I gestured to the cell around me with my free hand. 

_And how the fuck did we get here?_

“Well, lass, we were hoping ye could tell us that.” Rylen placed his hands on his hips as he spoke. Even though I liked Rylen’s character in the game, I currently wanted to punch the smirk right off his face. Cocky bastard.

“If I knew where I was, I wouldn’t have asked, yeah? Please. For the love of Christ and his mother, please tell us what is going on.”  
I put on my best helpless woman face, praying he’d cut the shit and give me the information I needed to figure out what happened. 

“Christ? His mother?” he chuckled, “Lass...You’re in Haven. Near the Temple of Sacred Ashes...or what’s left of it,” He sighed sadly at the mention of the now destroyed temple.

_Nope. Nope. Nuh-uh. Nope_

I could feel all the color drain from my face, not that anyone could see it in the dim lighting. I refused to believe Arry and I had somehow been teleported to a world I was 99% sure was fictional. A world I had only seen in video games and read about in books. 

_How could this happen?_

“I’m dreaming. I have to be. I’m dreaming right?!” I practically screeched up at would-be-Rylen. I was starting to sound manic.  
  
“Laney, I don’t think this is a dream,” Arry whispers in my ears. She then turned slightly and shoved my hoodie sleeve up to pinch my wrist.  
  
“The fuck are you doin’ woman?” I hissed at her.

“You wouldn’t have been able to feel that if this was a dream.” She said logically.  
  
 _Damn her._

I needed to tread carefully here...if this was even true. I couldn’t just blurt out that I knew practically everything about the second Inquisition from conception until after the events of Trespasser. That would get us killed faster than I could blink. Would it? 

_Don’t be dumb, Lauren. It absolutely would._

“Yer in Haven, lass. The Herald found you both in some... metal contraption in the Hinterlands. He was out sealing rifts and ye plopped right through. He was very insistent we keep ye alive so we could question ye. You’ve been unconscious fer nigh on 2 days now.” Would-be-Rylen shrugged like this was no big deal. Like women plopped out of rifts all the damn time.

“2 days?!” I breathed, “Look, mister whoever the fuck you are, I have a raging fucking headache and don’t have the patience to deal with your fucking bullshit. Where. The fuck. Are. We?”

“Thedas'' he replied coolly. The mirth was starting to leave his face and he briefly looked back behind him and then turned back to face me. 

_Nope. No. Nuh-uh. Nope. No nonononoooo. I’m dreaming. I have to be...wait, metal contraption?_

“What do you mean ‘metal contraption’?” Arry asked after a beat. 

“Aye. It’s nothin’ we’ve seen before. Where are ye from, lass?” Rylen looked between Arry and me, waiting on one of us to respond.

“Texas”, I replied curtly. 

“Tex-ass? And where is that?”

“The United States…You still haven’t told me who _you_ are.”

Rylen looked at me funny then. He quirked his eyebrow and cocked his head, all traces of mirth completely vanishing from his face.

“I beg your pardon, lass,” He bowed his head slightly and continued, “Knight-Captain Rylen at yer service. I served with the Templars in Starkhaven until they all ran off barking at the moon.” He smiled wide at that last bit. 

“Noooooo.” I breathed out in a whisper. I doubled over with my hands still wrapped around the cell bars. 

“This cannot be happening,” I muttered to myself. I took two or three deep breaths to calm myself and stood back up again.

“Okay, _Knight-Captain_. I’m Lauren and this is my sister Arry. How long are we to be kept in here?” I was trying my damnedest to keep my voice from cracking. Maybe if we were pleasant, they would take pity on us and let us out? 

Now that I was standing closer and my eyes had adjusted to the amount of light in the room, I could easily make out Rylen’s face.

_He looks practically the same._

But even standing, I was still a good 6 inches shorter than Rylen. It was then that my eyes moved over to the right and noticed that the second silhouette over Rylen’s shoulder had moved a little closer. 

_The Commander then._

Also true to the game, he looks the same...right down to the scowl.  
  
 _God bless, this man is pretty. Fuckity fuck fuck. I’m so...fucking fucked._

He had the same ridiculous fluffy mantle. Same blond hair that had been slicked back.

_Which is a shame. His curls were so nice._

The scar on the right side of his mouth bisected his lips, giving him an air of badassery. Same fucking scowl that would probably make me pee myself if I wasn’t 100% convinced I was either dreaming still or in a drug-induced coma. Okay, 95% convinced.

_...85%_

I turned to the Commander, “What are we doing in this...cell? And who are you?” I rattled the cell bars slightly at that while trying to stare the Commander down...no not down, up.  
  
 _Is everyone in Thedas a giant?!_

It was then that the Commander stepped up to the cell bars. He was the same height as Rylen and with both men standing so close...I feel like a pipsqueak. As he got closer I involuntarily took a step back.

“Simple. We don’t know who you are or what threat you pose to the Inquisition. The other advisors and I felt it best to place the two of you in here until you awoke and we could question you.” He said dryly. 

I just blinked at him. Then gathered my wits and prepared for battle.

“Threat? Look at us! Compared to y’all, we are fucking tiny!” I glance over at Arry, “Well, okay she’s not, but what the fuck? The Herald himself saw us pop out of a rift in something no one recognizes...What possible threat-“

In the middle of my ranting, okay more like screeching, the Commander looked over at Rylen and nodded. I saw a look of regret and sadness pass over Rylen’s face as he focused on me again.

Suddenly, my vision went black and I couldn’t breathe again.


	2. Chapter 2

_ Fucking hell. Why does this keep happening?! _ _   
_ _   
_ It felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs by a vacuum. I clutched at my chest as I collapsed backward on my ass, trying desperately to breathe in the air. To breathe in anything really. The weight I had felt before was back and it kept me from drawing in a much-needed breath. 

“Lauren?! What’s happening?!”

I was only vaguely aware of Arry yelling next to my ear. I couldn't focus on anything else than trying to get oxygen into my lungs. 

_ WHY CAN’T I BREATHE _

And then, just as quickly as it had come, the weight was gone. I gasped and choked while I tried to catch my breath and rolled over to move to my hands and knees. I bent over at the waist until my forehead touched the cold stone floor, feeling like I was about to vomit. 

I could feel Arry’s hand on my back and her desperately whispering in my ear.

“Laney? Laney are you alright?!”

I waved my hand at her to let her know I would be fine and that I just needed a second to recover. She held out a hand to me and I took it to steady myself and tried to stand up again. 

I turned back to the men and saw Rylen had focused his gaze on me again.

“Why...does that...keep...happening?!” I ground out through gritted teeth, still trying to recover my breath.

“I was ordered to purge ye, lass.” He looked between Arry and me, confusion and regret on his face.

I stared up at Rylen in disbelief. Purge? As in a Templar... silencing mages so they couldn’t cast? That shouldn’t have worked unless…

_ Oh. OH. _

Studying my face he asked “Have ye... never been purged, then? Are ye no’ a mage?”

“No, I’ve never been purged, you ass! What kind of fucking question is that? I’m not a fucking mage!” I pounded on the cell bars with both of my fists. 

Rylen looked over at the Commander for clarification. I could hear him whisper “I canna feel the mana in her veins, but I can feel the push of the Fade. If she’s no’ a mage, why did that affect her?”

Cullen said nothing but continued to glower at me.

I looked down at my hands but saw nothing had visibly changed. Suddenly, as if I had somehow willed it there, there was a small spark at the tips of my fingers. 

“Holy FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK? THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING?!” I was yelling again.

It was all too much. I broke. My filter was gone. My capacity to try and be rational, gone. I could no longer watch what I was saying. It was all just too fucking much.    
  
_Knight-Captain Rylen. Cullen. Haven. The Herald. Fucking Thedas...and now I had magic?!_

I collapsed again and started sobbing on the cold cell floor. As I was letting my emotions take over me I could feel, what I assumed was my magic or the Veil or whatever the hell, swirling and moving around me. I opened my eyes but saw nothing. I looked down at my hands and saw nothing again. 

I was again vaguely aware of Arry wrapping her arms around me and trying to comfort me with gentle shushing. She was warm, thank god. And it was nice to feel something familiar in this strange place. 

I could faintly hear the two men whispering to each other but couldn’t make out what they were saying this time. After a couple of minutes, I took a deep breath and steadied myself. I stood back up and straightened out my clothes, preparing myself for what I knew I had to do to keep us safe.    
  
I looked up at both men and weighed my options. I could continue to play 'dumb' and act like I didn't know what was going on. Or I could use what I knew to my advantage...to at least remove some suspicion from us. I knew I had to play my cards right or it could just as easily get us killed. Reveal too much, shank. Don’t reveal enough, shank. 

I shuffled over so I could stand directly in front of Cullen and look into his eyes. My breath caught. Good Lord, his eyes. They were just as beautiful as the game. A mix of gold and brown to make a wonderful amber shade. Staring at him brought back all memories of having a crush on him since the first Dragon Age game. 10 years is a long time to crush on a fictional character...then to have him presented in the flesh... 

_Whoa, Maker, indeed._ _Now is NOT the time, Valdez. Get it together. He just had you silenced and you're his prisoner._

"Cullen", I said his name with as much control in my voice as I could muster. 

I saw his eyes widen at the mention of his given name and not his title...which I knew he had realized he hadn't yet given me. He flexed his jaw but didn’t say anything.

"Where is the Herald now?" I knew as I spoke I was playing with fire. He would either tell me or walk away and leave us here.

He inhaled, let out a long breath, and then stared down at me. I could see in his eyes that he was debating on whether or not to reveal that information. 

"The Herald and his party left yesterday for Val Royeaux."

Okay, I at least knew roughly  _ when _ we were. Still in Haven and the Herald was heading to Val Royeaux. That means he hadn't yet closed the Breach or found an ally to help. I could work with this. I hoped.

"I need you to keep an open mind about what I'm about to say. I understand you're suspicious of my sister and me, but I can assure you we are NOT here to harm the Inquisition or the Herald...I don't - I don’t know why we are here." I muttered the last bit. 

He still looked at me skeptically. 

“You could say I’m like a Seer. In my world we have a ...a story about Thedas, about here and now. It’s kinda like a ‘choose your own adventure’ type story, I imagine you have those here in Thedas?” 

I waited for his nod in agreement to continue. It was small, but he nodded.

“I’ve known about Thedas since around the start of the Fifth Blight and my knowledge, or ‘visions’ if you want, extend to about 9:44 Dragon. So, I have something to offer you in exchange for releasing us, but it will require you to take a leap of faith. I realize this is a lot to ask.”

I took another steadying breath and continued. Cullen was squinting at me, trying to tell if I was lying through my teeth or telling the truth. I decided to drive my point home. Maybe if I told them I could help them...he'd be inclined to let us out. 

"I can offer you knowledge of what events the Herald will witness while he is in Val Royeaux.”

His eyebrows rose slightly. I could tell he was intrigued but still suspicious. He exchanged a glance with Rylen.

“Continue,” Cullen said gruffly. 

“The Herald will likely write to inform y’all that the Templars have left the Chantry and that Lord Seeker Lucius is off his fucking rocker. She will also meet with Grand Enchanter Fiona and Fiona will extend an invitation to meet with her in Redcliffe, allowing you an 'in' to seek aid from the mages. The Herald will also be presented with an opportunity to meet a Red Jenny and be invited to the Ghislaine estate for a salon hosted by Enchanter De Fer of Montsimmard.”

_Don't crack, Valdez. Don't crack. Don't crack._

I raised my eyebrow and cocked my hip, trying to invite an air of confidence when I felt absolutely none. He was practically snarling at me. Rylen let out a low whistle of astonishment and rubbed his chin.

“And what if you are wrong?” he spat, still scowling. Damn, this Cullen was much more intimidating than the game.   
  
_ Probably because you are standing 6 inches from all his fucking fury, Valdez _ .

“Then you can throw us right back in here and melt the key.” I deadpanned. “But, I won’t be.”

It took all of my willpower to not look away from Cullen as his eyes drilled into mine. If I was going to convince him what I said was true, I couldn't appear suspicious. 

Arry finally spoke after being silent for most of the conversation. 

"Thedas? Like that place in your game?" She whispered in my ear.

I gave her my best  _ shut-up _ look I could muster. It must have worked because she recoiled just a little bit. I felt bad for being so harsh, but I needed to convey the importance of letting me handle this.

While I had played Dragon Age on repeat since it first came out, Arry was only vaguely aware of Thedas when she happened to watch me. Being 7 years younger, she was never interested in playing but would occasionally ask me questions about the lore when the mood struck. 

I looked back and forth between Cullen and Rylen. I finally settled on Cullen again, I could tell he was still skeptical. He wouldn’t be as good at his job if he believed every sod with a sob story, now would he? 

"Look,” I started again, ”at one point you, Cassandra, AND Leliana all thought the Herald was responsible for causing the explosion at the Conclave, no? Could it not stand to reason _we_ are innocent as well?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rylen nod and conceded my point. The Captain turned to look at the Commander as he spoke.

Cullen stared me down for another moment before speaking, “Captain, please see that these ladies are escorted to my tent. Provide them with food and appropriate clothing,” he looked us up and down, obviously confused by our clothes, “They are to remain in my tent or under your escort until we receive word either confirming or  _ denying _ the supposed  _ Seer’s _ visions.” He sneered as he spoke, still not convinced.   
  
With that, Cullen turned on his heel and walked out. Rylen grabbed the cell keys off the wall next to us and fumbled for the right one. After the second key, he was able to unlock our cell and we stepped out finally.   
  
I might have been released from this stone cell, but I still felt very trapped.


End file.
